Gas-heater



C. C. CHAPRELLE. GAS HEATER. APPLWATION FILED OCT. 21,1918- 1,388,238. Patented Aug. 23, 1921.

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lIIIII avwenroz C. C. CHAPPELLE.

GAS HEATER.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 2|, 1918.

1,388,238. Y Patented Aug. 23, 1921.

4 SHEETS$HEET 3- fly C. C. CHAPPELLE GAS HEATER.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 21, 1918.

Patented Aug 23, 1921-.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES C. CHAI'IELLE, OFNEW YORK, N. Y.

GAS-HEATER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug, 23, 1921,

' Application filed October 21, 1918. Serial No. 259,154.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES C. CHaPrELLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the county of New York The general object of my invention is the provision of an improved construction for gas heaters whereby added heating efficiency is obtained and reduction in cost of manufacture is accomplished.

More particularly stated, one object of my invention is the provision of an improved gas heater construction which is adapted to operate at high efficiency to heat the surrounding atmosphere by both radiation and convection, the principal heat radiating portion of the device being arranged to be uniformly effective on all sides of the heater, and being associated with instrumentalities for insuring complete combustion of the fuel against the radiating device.

A further specific object of the invention is the provision of a gas heater of the character specified whereinsubstantially all parts are suitable to be formed of cast metal, so that machine work and assembling are reduced to a minimum and economy of manufacture enhanced. p

More specifically, the present invention comprises a round supporting plate mounted upon a tripod frame and carrying a radiating cone which is suspended from substantially the middle of the top plate with the edges of the cone separated from the top plate to provide an outlet for the burnt gases, and with a centrally located gas burner also car'- ried by the tripod frame and located directly beneath the radiator in such manner that the flames from said 'gas burner are adapted to heatthe surface ofthe radiator to incandescence, the parts'being constructed and arranged soas to be substantiallysymmetrical around the central vertical axis which extends through the gas burner, the radiator and the top plate.

V A still further object of the present invention isa gas heater of the character specified wherein substantially all parts of the stove are suitable to be. formed of cast metal so that machine work is reduced to a minimum and a substantial efficient gas heater may be economically manufactured. i

A still further and important object of the present invention is a gas burner of the character specified and wherein an inclined walled burner cap extends over the mouth of the burner and into the body thereof in such manner as to provide an annular conduit of gradually decreasing width through which the combustible mixture is directed to the burner openings so as to increase the velocity of the mixture to prevent back firing of the mixture through the burner openings. 1

Other and further objects of the present invention will in part be obvious and will in part be pointed out hereinafter in the specification following, by reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like parts are designated by like characters throughout the several figures thereof.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the gas heater. 7 r

Fig. 2 is a sectional viewtaken on substantially the mid-plane of the gas heater.

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the burner head, wherein is illustrated a slight modification of the spreader cap. 7

Fig. 4 is a plan-view of the burner head illustrated in Fig. 3. I

Fig. 5 is a more or less diagrammatical view illustrating an isothermal zone around the heating elements.

Fig. 6. is a detail View of a portion of the screen shown in section.

Heretofore, in the art of gas heaters, there have been generally two types; one comprising a sheet iron drum-in which a gas burner is mounted with air inlet openings in the base of the drum around the burner, and air outlet openings in or adjacent the top of the burner. This type of heater is intended to operate substantially as a chimney wherein cold air enters near the bottom of the burner and after being heated within the 1 sheet iron cylinder it escapes through the top openings, thereby establishing convection air currents in the room which sooner or later heat the atmosphere of the room. I

The other type of gas burner, has comprised the radiating type, of which there are two forms. The first form comprises gas burners arranged adjacent reflectors, usually burnished copper, wherein the heat from the burners is reflected and radiated outwardly from the reflecting surface. In

this type the flame never comes in contact with the reflector and the heat waves which are radiated are those which emanate from one side of the flame and striking the reflector are by it reflected or radiated outwardly. The other type of radiating heaters has in most cases comprised a non-combustible material such as certain kinds of terra cotta products which are arranged in such manner as to be heated directly by the gas flames and to radiate the heat outwardly. This type of heater is usually constructed to be used as a gas fire place and the heat is therefore. radiated in one direction from a substantially incandescent flat surface. The forms of gas stoves of the, radiant or radiating type in substantially all cases take no advantage of convection air currents but rely substantially entirely upon heating by radiation.

The present invention overcomes the difliculties of the prior art by conserving energy which is lost in the prior art types of burners, in that it provides a burner wherein full advantages of radiation and also of convection are taken for heating purposes. Furthermore, the radiating surface or member is so constructed that a very large propor-' tion of the total heat units in the gas 1s utilized in that the radiating member is di- 7 rectly inthe path of the flames and therefore all of the heat of the flame is utilized for heating purposes. A part of this heat raises the radiator to incandescence, another part is reflected directly from the incandescent surface, and the remaining portion of the total heat energy is utilized in causing heated convection air currents.

Furthermore, the present invention comprises a heater wherein the heating elements are so constructed as to be the center of isothermal spheres which produce uniform heating all around the heater.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, the top plate 1 comprises a central member provided with a flat rim 2 from which extends a downward flange 4; The top plate also extendsupwardly and inwardly from the flange 2 and is provided 'with an opening 5, adjacent which is an upwardly extending flange 6 and across which is a bar 7. The under part of the inclined portion may be provided with a rib 8. This top plate is preferably sup ported upon three legs 9 that form a tripod frame and. which are secured to the top plate by machine screws 10 extending through openings '11, spaced 120 degrees apart in theflat rim 2. The bar 7 is provided with a centrally located opening through which extendsa through-bolt 12,

the head of which is secured in the small endor base of the radiating member or radiator 14 and the other end of the throughbolt 12 is threaded to engage a ring nut 15 above the bar 7 whereby spacing lugs 16 on the upper edge ofthe radiator 14 are seated firmly against the under side of the top .platel and adjacent the rib 8, so that the rib acts as a positioning member for the spacing lugs. The radiator 1 1 comprises a cast iron body 17 which'preferably is hol-' the art. Directly beneath the tip or lower 2 end of the radiator member l l is mounted the gas burner19, that sets on the spud 20 that is mounted in the elbow. 21, which is secured to the supporting plate 22 by means of machine screws or the like.- The supporting plate 22 rests upon extensions 24 that are integral with the legs 9, and the supportingplate is attached to these legs by means of suitable screw bolts '25. The elbow 21 is connected by a short pipe 26 to a standard commercial hose'connec'tor 27.. In order to provide a guard around the gasflame and rat iator to prevent draperles, papers, or similar. articles from beingjblown into the flame and ignited, guard'frames 28 are secured at suitable intervals beneath the flat v rim 2 of the frame plate 1 and extend downwardly between the tripod legs to effectually protect the burner and radiator.

It will be noted that except for machine screws and thelike, asbestos and the like, which are standard commercial products, substantially the entire constructions heretofore enumerated are foundry products, and the design of. this heater is such that the parts may be assembled without special machine or handwork being required in the fitting, and the machine screw openings through the cast metal parts preferably are formed by'insertin g short cylinders of sheet metal in the molds. In order to present an ornamental appearance, the topplate, the machine screws 10, the tripod legs 9, and the guard frames 28;. may benickel-plated, and the burners supporting plate 22 maybe enameled orjapanned. i

The burner comprising that used in the present heater possesses many features of novelty which'will now be set forth more specifically in detail. The'burner body 29 is symmetrical around the longitudinal axis of the burner and comprises a large base30, which is provided with a flange .31 over which lugs 32 of an air.controllingshutter 34 extend, and the lug-35 is provided with a thumbscrew 36 by which the shutter may be maintained in adjusted positions. The

base of the burner is provided with three sector-shaped cross bars 37 that carry a collar 38 which, as well as the air shutter 34,

is provided with a cylindrical opening change the rotative relation between the air shutter and the cross bars 37 to control the area of the sector-shaped air ports'through which the'primary air for the gas burner enters.

The spud carries a standard orifice 39, the axis of the opening of which is substantially coincident with the axis of the burner. The burner body is gradually contracted above the enlarged base whereby the interior bore of the burner body is gradually restricted to a suitable proportionate area relatively to the internal area at the base. From the smallest diameter the bore gradually enlarges until at the upper end of the burner the diameter is somewhat larger than the internal diameter at the base. By this construction it will 'be noted that the interior bore of the burner is substantially a Venturi tube with the axis of the gas orifice substantially coincident with the axis of the Venturi tube and with the air inlets constructed to direct air upwardly and around the said gas orifice in such manner that a thorough mixing of gas and air is accomplished due to the gas molecules spreading outwardly in a circular stream and thoroughly intermingling with the stream of air as the gas and air pass through the restriction venturi passageway. The amount of air possible to induce into the base of the burner varies as the square of the velocity of the gas issuing from the orifice, other conditions being constant. The

maintenance of the gas velocity after it leaves the orifice is desirable in order to secure the maximum amount of mixture for a given burner. Now since the effects of a Venturi tube is to increase velocity of flow as the fluid approaches the smallest area or the tube, it follows that avertical' Venturi tube body will deliver more mixture to a given burner than will a straight walled tube. After leaving the restricted passageway 40 the mixture enters the chamber 41, in which is located the downwardly projecting conical-shaped screen 42. This screen preferably is span from perforated sheet brass or copper'in such manner that the openings 44' are elongated toward the point of the screen whereby the screen provides a minimum change in direction to gas flowing upwardly through the burner body. Preferably the sides 45 of this conical screen are shaped to fit the interior of the burner body and the edge of the screen terminates substantially coincident with the edge or end of the burner body, and held firmly in position. A deflector cap 46 is seated over the end of the burner body and is provided with bifurcated lugs 47 diametrically oppositely arranged and adapted to set over similar lugs 48 on the burner body. When the lugs 47 are positioned over the lugs 48 a screw bolt may pass through the adjacent lugs to secure'the deflector cap in position. The rim of the deflector cap (Fig. 2) is upwardly inclined and provided with burner openings 49 which are separated by teeth 50. The inclination of the axes of the burner openings, as shown in Fig. 2, is substantially 60 degrees, which spreads the flames properly to engage the side wall of the radiator; The deflector cap extends downwardly within the burner body in the form of a rim 51 from which extend inwardly sloping sides 52 that terminate in flat portion 54, all of which comprises a deflector bulb adapted to comprise a guide for the upwardly moving stream of mixed gas and air to direct the same outwardly toward the burner openings. The deflector bulb gradually restricts the gas passageway in such manner as to increase the velocity of the gas as it approaches and passes through the burner openings so that there is no danger, under normal gas pressures, of the gas burning back, to the screen.

Inview of the fact that gas burners are oftenset in drafts and sometimes are turned low in order to provide a lessened amount of heat, I have found it desirable that the burners for such heaters be effectively safeguarded against being extinguished by sudden gusts of wind or drafts. To this end I have provided the burner with a protecting cupthat acts as a shield and'which extends upwardly from the burner head and at the same time does not interfere with the function and action of the burner. This shield may comprise a cup-shaped member 55 which is provided with a rim 56 forming a horizontally extending baflle that is recessedas at 57 to admit secondary air around the head of the gas burner, and is also recessed or slotted as at 58 in such manner that the screw bolts which secure the burner head to the burner body may pass through the slots 58 and also perform the function of securing thecupshaped member 55 in position. It will be noted that the cup-shaped member 55 not only protects the flames of the burner from side drafts but will act as a pocket in which pressure will accumulate when a sudden down draft strikes the heater, thereby preventing the blast from blowing past the burner and consequently preventing the burner from being extinguished. The baflle ter, and thus contributes to uniform dis tribution over the radiating surface of the flame from the burner. This baflie, moreover, aids in the entrainment of secondary air through the passages 57 by the jets discharging through the flame apertures 49.

In view of the fact that the burner herewith shown is adaptable for various purposes a slight modification is illustrated in Figs. 3 and t, wherein the inclination of the axes of the burner openings is substantially 45 degrees, so that the flames are somewhat more divergent than in the construe tion shown in Fig. 2. Furthermore Figs. 3 and 4 showthe teeth 59 as being made longer than'the teeth shown in Fig. 2, so that the walls at the inner ends of the openings 49 shed or overhang the upper rim of the body portion of theburner. Furthermore, this figureillustrates a cover cap or shed 60, which covers and protects the cup formed by the walls of thespreader bulb. This con struction shown in Figs. 3 and l is particularly adapted for use in water heaters and the like wherein it is necessary to pre- .vent water oi condensation, rust, soot, etc, which, is liable to drop on the burners, from entering through the burner opening into the burner body and clogging the screen.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 5, it will be noted that'the products of combustion from the burner pass upwardly around the sides of the radiator and beneath the top plate to the centralopening thereof, from whichthey may be directed to a suitable chimney, or as is common in the art may be permitted to mingle with the air of the room. This rapid and continuous removal of the productsof combustion from about the radiating member, where the combustion largely takes place, contributes to complete utilization of all of the fuel value by aiding in. the upward flow and uniform distribution of the fuel mixture and secondary air entrained through the funnel-shaped device 55, the rapid and continuous withdrawal of the products of combustion from about the fibrous material preventing their exerting any influence to stifle the combustion. These hot gases heat the top plateand cause upwardly moving air currents of heat ed air to travel over and around the top plate whereby convectional currents are established which assist in heating the air of the room. It will be noted that the passageway of the hot gases, as indicated by the arrows, is such as to leave the rim sub- .stantially cool, and that the heating gradually increases from over the rib and inwardly toward the central opening. It will also be noted that the gas flames from the burner heat the middle zone of the radiator hottest and that this zone is so curved as to deflect or radiate the heat outwardly and downwardly The parts are so. constructed and arranged that athermometer placed at with the rules of the NationalG-as Associa tion which specify that the; temperature from a gas room heater shall not be higher than 1420 degrees within 1 8 inches from any point onthe heater and that thefloor tem perature shall not exceed 130 degrees.

Realizing that is possible to carry out my invention in structuresother than those specifically herein designa d, I desire that the specific instructions herein designated and described shall be understood as illustrative and not in the limiting sense.

Having described my invention what I claim is v i. A heater of the character specified com- Pl'lfilug' a heat radiating member having a peripheral radiating wall, fibrous refractory material disposed on said wall, a top plate disposed above said radiating member and projecting beyond the peripheral wall there- 2. In a heater, the combination of a radi ating member having an exposed peripheral radiating wall, ages burner having flame orifices adapted to impinge gas upon the lower portion of said radiating wall, a flame protector associated .with the radiating member and encompassing theflame orifices oi the burner, and a baiile encompassing said flame protector and extending radially'outward therefrom beyondthe radiating wall and cotiperating with the protector and burner to eliect theimpingment ofsecond ary air with gas from the purner against the radiating member. r V

3. A heater comprising the combination of a burner having): a mixingchamber at its lower portion and circumferentially arranged apertures in its upper portion,'a shield encompassing the portion of the burner containing the flame apertures and extending above the latter, said shield being spaced apart from the peripheral wall of the burner to permit flow of air therebetween, a radiatmg member disposed above and spaced apart from the burner and shield, said radiating member having a peripheral wall disposed coaxially with the burner in position for the reception of flames therefrom, and a horizontal baflle extending outwardly from the shield in a plane below the radiating member and above the burner apertures.

f. A heater comprising in combination a burner having circumferentially arranged jet apertures and adapted for the forcible discharge of fuel therefrom, a radiating member disposed above the burner and having a peripheral radiating wall arranged for the reception of flames from the burner, a horizontally extending baifle arranged above the level of the burner and below the level of the radiating member, said battle being apertured to permit the passage of flame from the burner to the radiating member.

5. A heater including in combination a burner having a head arranged for the forcible discharge of gaseous fuel, a radiating member disposed above the burner and having a conical peripheral wall disposed to receive flames from the burner, and a horizontally arranged baffle below the radiating member andextending outwardly from the burner and beyond the peripheral wall of the radiating member.

6. A gas heater of the character specified comprising in combination a top plate provided with a draft opening, a radiating member mounted beneath said top plate and spaced apart therefrom to provide a passageway for products of combustion, a gas burner beneath the radiating member and having the head thereof spaced apart from the lower portion of said member and in position to impinge flames thereupon, a shield encompassing the burner head and spaced apart therefrom and from the radiating member, and a bafile encompassing the shield and extending outwardly substantially horizontally therefrom beyond the peripheral wall of the radiating member and cooperating with the shield and top plate to effect the induction of air about the lower portion of the radiating member and the rapid passage of gases upwardly along the radiating member.

7. A heater or the like comprising the combination of a radiating member having a peripheral flame receiving wall, a gas burner beneath said radiating member and being provided with a plurality of jet openings arranged to direct flames against the wallthereof, a shield surrounding the head ofthe burner and extending upwardly adjacent the radiating member to protect the burner head from drafts, and a battle extending outwardly from said shield beyond the area of the radiating member and cooperating with the shield to effect induction of air about the burner head and against the radiating member. Y

8. In a heater of the class described, the combination of a top plate, a conical radiating member suspended from said top plate and spaced apart therefrom to provide a passageway for products of combustion, a gas burner beneath said radiating member and provided with jet openings constructed to direct flames against the conic surface thereof, and a baifle member lying in a substantially horizontal plane below the conic surface of the radiating member to protect it from upward air currents.

9. A heater comprising supporting standards, a horizontally arranged top plate securing such standards together at their up- 

